Pebbledash Newspaper - Fall 2025

A PUBLICATION OF THE PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF ASHEVILLE AND BUNCOMBE COUNTY

*2S0,000

In January 2021, PSABC staff learned that
two properties in the historic East End/Val-
ley Street neighborhood were under threat.
Cappadocia Church on Max Street, the res-
idence at 32 Grail Street, along with two
adjacent vacant lots were purchased by a
developer who intended to demolish the
church and house and use the four lots for a
multi-family infill project. When we learned
of these plans, PSABC staff reached out to
the developer. They were willing to sell the
church and existing residence to the Preser-
vation Society for rehabilitation, on the con-
dition that they could retain the vacant lots
for infill development. PSABC purchased 32
Grail and Cappadocia in January 2022.

Quickly we brought our general contrac-
tor, John Olup of Reems Creek Construc-
tion and Restoration, onto the project. The
house needed a new roof, extensive founda-
tion repairs, and new electric, plumbing and
HVAC. The original hardwood floors were
refinished, the porches were rebuilt and the
kitchens and bathrooms were updated. The
aluminum siding was removed to reveal the
original wood siding which was repaired and
repainted.

Our goal was to do preservation work
in historically Black neighborhoods without
adding to the issue of gentrification. By reha-

ANNOUNCING

PSABC’S
FLAGSHIP
APPRENTICE
PROGRAM

This fall, our Board of Directors
approved PSABC’s very first
apprenticeship program! In
partnership with My Daddy Taught
Me That, Logan Restoration, and
Reems Creek Construction and
Restoration, this program will
launch in early 2026.

Recognizing the need for historic
preservation trades in Asheville’s
construction economy, PSABC
staff began discussions with local
organizations to explore the feasibility
of a program of this kind.

We reached out to the staff at My
Daddy Taught Me That (MDTMT),
a youth development program in
Asheville that supports young men
through advocacy, education, and
mentoring.

MDTMT has a well-established
career training and __ professional
development program in_ East
End/Valley Street, the very same
neighborhood where PSABC is
actively working on the rehabilitation
of Cappadocia Church. Apprentices
for this program will train under John
Olup of Reems Creek Construction
and Restoration, and Michael Logan
of Logan Restoration, to learn the
specialized skills required to complete
historic rehabilitation projects.
MDTMT will also provide professional
development such as interview training,
resume and cover letter writing
support, and OSHA training, in order
to develop all skills required to help
the apprentices succeed in securing full
employment upon the completion of
the program.

Our hope is that, by partnering
with MDTMT through this program,
there is the potential to expand and
create a mentorship structure that could
continue to serve young professionals
from the community who are interested
in training in much needed historic
preservation trades.

JUSTIN!
°150,000 Gift for Biltmore Village Recovery

We are so excited to announce a new

grant program for Biltmore Village. Thanks
to a very generous anonymous gift of
$150,000, we will be awarding 6 grants for
$25,000 each to businesses in Biltmore
Village working to rehabilitate after Helene.

'TIS THE GIVING SEASON

Pebbledash

GRAIL STREET PROJECT UPDATE

bilitating the house and then partnering with
the Asheville-Buncombe Community Land
Trust (ABCLT), this home in the historic
East End/Valley Street neighborhood will be
permanently preserved and deeply affordable
for the next 99 years. In order to make our
partnership with the ABCLT successful, we
needed additional funding to bridge the gap.

In July 2025, Asheville City Council vot-
ed unanimously to approve $250,000 in fund-
ing for the Asheville-Buncombe Community
Land Trust. These funds will go toward the
ABCLT purchasing two properties, including
the recently completed rehabilitation project
at 32 Grail Street. The support from the City
has made it possible for this partnership to
move forward and hopefully sets us up for
future partnerships as well.

The house is now under contract to be
purchased by ABCLT!

Learn more about the incredible
history of this home here:

The progress in Biltmore Village over the
last year has been incredible and we

are proud to be part of that recovery. For
more information about this program visit:
psabc.org/preservation-grants.

PRESERVATION

SOCIETY OF

ASHEVILLE

avo BUNCOMBE co

FALL 2025

IN SUPPORT FROM THE
“ITY UF ASHEVILLE!

~ ‘This home in the historic East End/Valley Street home in the historic East End/Valley Street
neighborhood will be permanently preserved &
deeply affordable for the next 99 years.

© Ryan Theede Photography

Going for Zero: A Q&A with Carl Elefante

Coined by Carl Elefante, “the greenest building is...one that is al-
is a familiar mantra for those at the intersection of
preservation and sustainability. In 2025, Elefante who is a prin-
cipal emeritus with Quinn Evans architects and past president of
the American Institute of Architects, continued his groundbreak-
ing work with the publication of Going for Zero: Decarbonizing the
Built Environment on the Path to Our Urban Future. Informed by
his decades of experience in architecture and preservation, the
book delves into the ways in which buildings and cities can be a
solution to the challenges faced by climate change.

ready built,”

Recently he spoke with National Trust Senior Policy Director Jim
Lindberg about his new book and his ideas for how preservation-
ists can help achieve a more sustainable, low-carbon future.

You’ve been spending a lot of time on
the road recently, talking about your
new book. Tell us about the evolution of
the book and why you decided to do it.

Elefante: It's very directly the book
of my professional experience and my
perspectives as they relate to the challenges
of the 21st century, with climate change
being the one that is most urgent. My book
is about understanding the challenges of
climate change, but also the opportunities
in responding to climate change. To
decarbonize, we need to retool everything
about the built environment, not just
our habitation, but also transportation,
agriculture, and industry. I wanted to
highlight the opportunities and possibilities
that come with that process.

Where do old buildings fit into a future
that will need to accommodate so
many more people and provide more
affordable housing?

Elefante: We've forgotten the lessons
about affordability from thousands of
years of cities. Jane Jacobs talked about
the power of older buildings. Affordability
is a function of having older buildings in
our cities that have already been paid for.
The construction cost and land purchase
have already been amortized.

Why are older and historic buildings
still being demolished?

Elefante: The economics and policies
that drive real estate development are
fundamentally broken. One dimension is
zoning. New York City provides a telling
example. About 20 years ago, the city
upzoned the areas around Grand Central
Station and Penn Station to create smart
growth zones. The result is that 50-story
buildings are being torn down to build
100-story buildings.

The theory was that somehow or another,
this kind of development is going to
help the city become more affordable.
In reality, what gets built are towers for
billionaires who visit the city for two
weeks around New Year's Eve. We have
to look at how zoning can encourage
reuse and reinvestment in older buildings
instead of their replacement.

Are there places where you see that
kind of reinvestment happening?

Elefante: Toronto is an interesting
place to look at despite having many
problems like those in New York City.
After World War I, Toronto built more
than a thousand multi-story suburban
apartment towers all around the city. Now
those buildings are aging and in need of
repair. In response, some architects in
Toronto have begun a program to fix up
these mid-century towers to keep them
viable as affordable housing.

How can we make the case for reusing
vernacular post-war structures that may
not appear significant at first glance?

Elefante: This category of buildings
still has value, including cultural value,
even though many were not particularly
great buildings even when first built.
At Quinn Evans, we've converted some
to residential use. Most often, these
marginal mid-century buildings are
stripped of their exterior cladding and
gutted, keeping only the structural frame.
In my book I defend even this radical
approach to building reuse from a carbon
standpoint as something that still has real
climate benefits.

We’ve been working to make
historic buildings more energy efficient
for years. Now we also need to make the
transition to carbon-free operations,

Carl Elefante. By Britney Yooung Photography.

which means electrification. How does
this impact preservation?

Elefante: When buildings are
powered with electricity alone, and when
only renewable power-sources are used,
operational greenhouse gas emissions
are reduced to zero, period. While better
envelope performance is preferable, many
of the so-called problems of traditional
buildings become much less crucial. In
fact, many of the so-called advantages of
modern-era construction are misnomers.

We need to be
advocates for the
long-term value of
building materials
and systems.

Simplistic benefits, like glazing with a
higher insulation rating, can look very
different when viewed from a life-cycle
perspective. I have learned firsthand the
importance of traditional materials with
long service-life and repairability over
so-called maintenance-free materials that
end up in the landfill in a matter of a few
decades. Built heritage has much to teach
about long-term value and performance.

You are known for coining the phrase “the
greenest building is...one that is already
built.” How has this made an impact?
Elefante: That phrase was published
in an article I wrote for the National
Trust’s Forum Journal in 2007. To this
day that journal article is quoted every
week literally around the world—in
dissertations and professional journals.

continued on page 7

PAGE 1

Memberships start at just °35

From the Executive Director

We did it — we made it through the one year anniversary of
Helene. If you’re like me, the day came with much sadness,
a bit of pride, lots of hope and a hard earned years’ worth of
exhaustion. I’ve been honored to speak at local, regional and
national conferences about PSABC’s response to the storm.
That recognition has been uplifting for our whole team.

We are also in the early stages of exploring a full county survey of historic resources. The need for such a survey came into
sharp focus after Helene when we found ourselves scrambling to document places that had been damaged.

The work is far from done and we are here for it, so please consider making a donation today to keep this momentum going!

As this year winds down, we have so much to be thankful for and even more to look forward to. Thank you to our members,
supporters and volunteers for all you do to make the work we do possible. This year you came through with donations, helping

Pebbledash)

Our recovery efforts have changed from rapid response to long term work and planning.
Thanks to the Marion Stedman Covington Foundation and the City of Asheville, we have now
raised the funds necessary to nominate a more inclusive Biltmore Village National Register
District, which will allow property owners to take advantage of rehabilitation tax credits as
they continue to work on repairs. In conjunction with our new grant program (see the top of
page 1), we hope to make a big impact on work being done there.

hands and more hugs than I can count. We couldn’t do it without you!

2026 is our 50th anniversary and we are going to celebrate all year long! See you there!

Sincerely,
Jessie Landl, Executive Director

OUR WORK

and designation projects.

endangered properties.

have utilized a preservation ethic.

community about our shared history.

Special thanks to our members and sponsors who provide the financial support of our mission.

Preservation Grants to support preservation, education
Preservation Easements and Advocacy to protect

Technical Support for owners of historic properties.
Hosting the Griffin Awards to recognize projects that

Preservation Education Programs to inform the

FALL 2025 Q

PSABC
Board & Staff

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT

Josi Ward

VICE PRESIDENT
Dale Slusser

TREASURER
William Eakins

SECRETARY
Betty Lawrence

Katie Adams
Maria Delsasi
Tom Frank
Jonathan Helmken
Lauren Henry
Carol Hensley
Michael Logan
Kieta Osteen-Cochrane
Cate Scales
Lisa Thomson

STAFF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jessie Land]

HISTORIC PRESERVATION SPECIALIST
Elisabeth Brown

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT PRESERVATION

¢ Contact us to confidentially discuss your estate planning
goals and how those goals can support historic preservation.

¢ Become a member and receive valuable information about the
history and preservation of Asheville & Buncombe County.

¢ Volunteer for PSABC and utilize your skills to increase the
capacity of our preservation work.

¢ Donate a preservation easement on your historic property
and confidently know that it will be permanently protected.

¢ Become a sponsor of our programming, including our series
of Preservation Education Programs.

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Jamie Moody

COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION
AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Catherine Amos

OFFICE MANAGER
Amy Hornaday

PRESERVATION MASCOT
Lillian 3

fe

Built in 1908, the cornerstone notes that the
church was rebuilt in 1926. Sanborn maps
show that the 1908 structure was wood.
With no records of a fire or demolition,
we always wondered if the wood structure
might be inside the 1926 brick church —
and it is!

Early work has uncovered extensive
termite damage and other structural
issues from decades of water intrusion.
We are so thankful for our incredible

GRIFFIN AWARDS

FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Construction is Underway

at Cappadocia Church

ee
—

team, which includes General Contractor
John Olup (Reems Creek Construction
and Restoration), Architect Chip Howell
(Native Forms Architecture), Structural
Engineer Ed Medlock (Medlock &
Associates Engineers) and Civil Engineer
Nick Bowman (Davis CivilSolutions). For
every challenge we have faced they have
found solutions and our goal of giving this
church another 100 years of life is starting
to feel like a reality!

Thanks to the generous support of
Dogwood Health Trust, the first phase of
construction is funded. In this phase we
hope to address all of the structural issues,
replace the roof, and begin rehabilitation
of the exterior. We are currently pursuing
additional grant funding and fundraising
for the next phases of construction.

Our long term goal for this project
is deeply affordable apartments. Please
reach out to jessie@psabc.org for more
information or to support this project. g

AWARD
NOMINATIONS
WILL OPEN
IN JANUARY

RECOGNIZING PROJECTS
THAT FURTHERED PRESERVATION
IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY

THURSDAY, MAY 21 AT THE HIDEAWAY

PAGE 2

HIOTORIG BUTTLES FOUND

During recent renovations at Cappadocia, our contractor, John
Olup, found four glass bottles that he believed to be historic.
Our volunteer archaeologist, Chelsea Freeland, cleaned the
bottles using water and a mild detergent. Because none of the
bottles had paper labels, corks or other stoppers, or powdered
residue that may be dangerous, they were safe to rinse. Be sure
not to scrub, submerge for too long, or use harsh chemicals
because those can damage historic glass!

All four are machine-made bottles; they have raised embossed lettering and a distinct,
vertical side mold seam that goes all the way up to the rim/lip. This dates all four
bottles to at least 1900 or later. The shapes of the bottles point to a date range of c.
1920-1950, most likely in the 1940s.

Two of our bottles are from the Biltmore dairy. The intact bottle says, “PROPERTY OF
BILTMORE FARMS” on the front; “PLEASE WASH AND RETURN THIS BOTTLE // ONE PINT
LIQUID” on the back; and a maker’s mark on the bottom. The broken bottle says, “PURE
JERSEY MILK // BILTMORE DAIRY” on the front; “TO BE WASHED AND RETURNED” on
the back; and “T. MFG CO.” on the bottom for the Thatcher Manufacturing Company.
It has a big shard missing at the top of the bottle and lip; there are also three circular
gouges on the side - we’re not sure if these are from shearing or acidic decay. The
Thatcher Glass Manufacturing mark likely dates the broken bottle to 1900-1925. Dr.
Hervey D. Thatcher was a pioneer in farm-to-table milk processing and delivery and
designed the “Common Sense Milk Bottle” that used a cap held in place with a wire
fastener.

The smallest bottle held Listerine, the same company making the mouthwash in your
bathroom! Listerine was originally developed as a surgical antiseptic in 1879 and then
became available over the counter in 1914. Learn about the history of Listerine here:
listerine.com/about (Scroll down to 1879 to peep a bottle that looks just like ours!)

Our last bottle is a little plain, but still loveable! The front says “ONE PINT;” the bottom
has an embossed maker’s mark for F.E. Reed Glass Co., in operation from 1923-1956.
We’re still not sure what the bottle was used for, but it may have been used for beer,
soda, mineral water, or medicine. ?

Want to get really nerdy?
Have some antique glass bottles of your own?
Check out the Society for Historical Archaeology’s
historic bottle website: bottleinfo.historicbottles.com

Business memberships start at 250

32 Grail Wins at Parade

Pebbledash)

of Homes Gala Awards

We are excited to announce that our
rehabilitation project at 32 Grail Street
was awarded at the 2025 WNC Parade
of Homes Awards Gala! PSABC and
the Asheville Buncombe Community
Land Trust took home the award for
Housing Affordability for the “East End
Revitalization” project.

We would like to thank our partners at
Reems Creek Construction and Restoration
and the Asheville Buncombe Community

BUNCUMBE

Land Trust, as well as the Builders
Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains
and the WNC Parade of Homes for their
recognition. This project would not have
been possible without the financial support
from Asheville City Council in July, and
the support and advocacy work from the
East End/Valley Street Neighborhood
Association throughout the entire project. NV)

Thank you for preserving with us!

50 Anniversary
Kickoff Party
Saturday, January 31°"

Circa 29
at S&W Cafeteria

Be sure to sign up for our email list for this dance party in the heart of Asheville

Corner Kitchen Awarded
$50,000 from National Trust
for Historic Preservation

In September, Corner Kitchen in
Biltmore Village was named by
the National Trust for Historic
Preservation as one of 50 small
historic restaurants across the
country to receive a $50,000
grant from the Backing Historic
Small Restaurants fund. These
grant funds support Corner
Kitchen’s massive rehabilitation
following the devastation
wrought by Hurricane Helene.

Corner Kitchen began cleanup and
rehabilitation work almost immediately
after the storm. In fact, they were among
the earliest businesses to apply for and
receive a Bricks and Mortar Preservation
Grant from PSABC in October 2024.

The process took many months,
which owners Joe Scully and Kevin
Westmoreland fastidiously documented
through reels on their social media
pages. The engagement was _ instant,
and their dedication to documenting the
rehabilitation process was key to their

successful re-opening. The grassroots
support allowed for fundraising
Opportunities as well as a dedicated
clientele who awaited with open arms
when the restaurant reopened this past
summer.

One of the most touching steps taken
by the team in the rehabilitation process
was the installation of time capsules within
the walls of the building, documenting
the business’s 20-year history, the events
of the storm, the struggle to clear out the
property, and the community that came
together to bring them to the completion of
the project. Items in the capsules included
everything from original recipes to a mud-
soaked menu from the shadowbox outside
when Helene struck.

After nearly a year of hard work,
Corner Kitchen proudly opened its doors
to the public on August 11, 2025. In a
social media post, the team shared that
the newest iteration of Corner Kitchen
is “filled with new stories, hidden time
capsules in the walls, and still, at its
core: welcoming, nourishing, familiar,
and home.” g

> Carraway

of Merit pr

res INOUE Ube

"esent€

We were deeply honored to be rechennna at
the 2025 North Carolina Preservation Awards!

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Chelsea Freeland, Lauren Henry, Josi Ward, Jamie Moody, Jessie Landl,
Catherine Amos, Amy Hornaday, Dale Slusser and Benjamin Briggs, President/CEO of Preservation NC.

In October, Preservation North Carolina
hosted their 2025 Annual Conference in
Asheville. We met with colleagues from around
the state, and were able to share our experiences
from the past year. The Preservation Society of
Asheville and Buncombe County was awarded
the Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit for
our response and recovery work following
Hurricane Helene.

This award was named in honor of the late
Dr. Gertrude S. Carraway, a noted New Bern
historian and preservationist. Presented since

1974, these Awards of Merit “give deserved
recognition to individuals or organizations that
have demonstrated a genuine commitment to
historic preservation through extraordinary
leadership, research, philanthropy, promotion,
and/or significant participation in preservation.”
Our Board and staff extend our sincerest
gratitude to Preservation North Carolina for
the recognition, and to all who have supported
our work post-Helene. Our response would not
have been possible without the support of our
members and our community. Thank you! g

FALL 2025

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Anna Zuevskaya, Kit Molina-Nauert, John Olup,
Jessie Landl, Jamil Harrison, Renee White, Joe Archibald

FOR THAT PRESERVATIONIST

IN YOUR LIFE,

PRESERVATION

SOCIETY OF

ASHEVILLE

ano BUNCOMBE co

Get yours at the QR

OR YOURSELF

or come by the office and
leave feeling a little warmer.

PSABC Awarded *5.000
by the National Trust
for Historic Preservation!

Following Hurricane Helene, PSABC
began a volunteer-led form and photo
survey of historic properties throughout
the county to get a sense of where grant
funding and technical expertise might
be most useful. The survey developed a
data set of approximately 1,200 historic
buildings, both residential and commercial,
in the affected flood zones. PSABC is
working to compile the survey data into a
publication to be housed with Buncombe
County Special Collections as part of their

“Come Hell or High Water’ collective
memory project. These photos and data
comprise the first systematic historic
building survey of the Swannanoa River
Valley, in addition to documenting the
types of damage that affected the historic
landscape during the storm, including
flooding, secondary humidity damage,
falling trees and mudslides.

This generous support from the National
Trust for Historic Preservation will allow us to
complete this project by early next year.

TIME TRAVELING

GALA

SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 26, 2026

SAVE THE
DATE

DETAILS
IN THE SPRING

PAGE 3

Your gift supports our Helene recovery efforts

Pebbledash)

THE STORY OF 227 EDGEWOOD ROAD

Trolleys,
Lowers,

Fruits

Friends

By Dale W. Slusser
Architectural Historian

ne house can reveal a larger story than just its own. So it is with the

historic house (now church) at 227 Edgewood Road The arrival

of the railroads to Asheville in 1880 brought a sudden influx of

people, both visitors and new residents, to the mountain city.
Suddenly, Asheville had an internal transportation problem. Visitors getting
off the comfortable trains at the depot were greeted by buckboard wagons or
horse carts to transport them and their accoutrement to their accommodations.
To solve the transportation problem, The Asheville Street Railway Company
was chartered in 1881, primarily (or at least initially) to provide transport from
the depot up the steep long grade to Center Square (now called Pack Square).
However, because establishing and constructing a railway system required lots
of money and cooperation between city officials and property owners for the
necessary “right-of-ways”, the 1881 charter was only the first of several failed
attempts to establish a trolley system in the burgeoning city of Asheville. It
was not until February 1889 that the first trolley system began operation in
Asheville. The building and growth of Asheville’s trolley system contributed
to the eventual building of the house at 227 Edgewood Road.

Asheville, North Carolina, founded in the
1790’s in the mountains of Western North
Carolina, remained remote and rather in-
accessible well into the latter half of the
nineteenth-century. And although promot-
ed as a “health resort”, beginning in the
1830’s, Asheville’s population by 1880
was still only 2,616.' But all that remote-
ness changed suddenly in 1880, when the
Western North Carolina Railroad, which
had been in the planning and construction
stages for many decades, was finally com-
pleted to Asheville (from the east). This
was shortly followed by the completion of
the WNCRR line to Tennessee (connect-
ing Asheville to the west and north), and
by 1886 the completion of the Spartanburg
and Asheville Railroad connected Ashe-
ville to the south.

The arrival of the railroads brought a sud-
den influx of people, both visitors and new
residents, to Asheville. Suddenly, Ashe-
ville had an internal transportation prob-
lem. Visitors getting off the comfortable
trains at the depot were greeted by buck-
board wagons or horse carts to transport
them and their accoutrement to their ac-
commodations. To solve the transportation
problem, The Asheville Street Railway
Company was chartered in 1881, primari-
ly (or at least initially) to provide transport
from the depot up the steep long grade to
Center Square (now called Pack Square).
However, because establishing and con-
structing a railway system required lots of
money and cooperation between city offi-
cials and property owners for the neces-
sary “right-of-ways”, the 1881 charter was
only the first of several failed attempts to
establish a trolley system in the burgeon-
ing city of Asheville. It was not until Feb-
tuary 1889 that the first trolley system be-
gan operation in Asheville.

The full story of the building of Ashe-
ville’s “street railway” (trolley) is told
elsewhere? and is beyond the purview of
our story of 227 Edgewood Road. How-
ever, once in operation in 1889, the newly
established trolley system, which was the
first electric railway system built in North
Carolina, and the second system built in
the south (preceded only by Richmond,
VA), immediately began to expand with
the building of new lines to other parts of
the city besides Center Square. The build-
ing and growth of Asheville’s trolley sys-
tem contributed to the eventual building of
the house at 227 Edgewood Road.

The arrival of the trolley system, aided in
the establishment of Asheville’s first sub-
urban neighborhoods, to meet the housing
needs of its growing population. “Dou-
bleday’s Addition”, was one of, if not the
first of Asheville’s “suburbs”, preceding
the opening of the trolley system. In 1882,
Asheville newcomer, Ulysses Double-
day, the brother of famed baseball “in-
ventor” Abner Doubleday, had purchased
a 60-acre tract of land on the northern
city limits. This land was part of the Wil-
liam Augustus Patton estate.* Doubleday,
who also was a busi-
ness owner and partner
with George F. Scott of
the Asheville Lumber
Company, immediately
began to sell lots in his
new subdivision. How-
ever, uniquely every lot
that Doubleday sold, he

Apply to
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PAGE 4

9 Let or For laity

ON VERY EASY TERMS,

IN THIS CITY-
DOUBLEDAY & SCOTT.
aw

also sold the lot with an agreement that
he would build the house on the lot, for
which the buyer would take out a prom-
issory note (from Doubleday) to pay for.
Being the owner of a lumber and millwork
business, Doubleday was able to act as
both a real estate developer and contrac-
tor. An 1886 map of Asheville shows that
Doubleday had already, by then, built over
a half-dozen houses in his new suburban
development. The homeowners shown on
the map: Havener, Moore, Perry, Lind-
say, Miller, Bearden and Franklin had all
purchased Doubleday lots with Double-
day-built houses.

“ANOTHER ELECTRIC RAILWAY”
was the subtitle for the newspaper report
following the April 17, 1891 meeting of
Asheville’s board of alderman in which C.
E. Graham “asked permission to connect
an electric railway with the Asheville street
railway from the present terminus at North
Main street, running to Fenner Mountain,
by way of East Street”. * This new railway,
proposed by C. E. Graham, was referred
to (though not officially named as such)
the “East Street Railway” or the “Lookout
Mountain Railway”. This newly proposed
railway was to run directly to and through
the Doubleday Addition.

This new electric railway was neither initi-
ated by nor owned by the Asheville Street
Railway but instead was owned and initiat-
ed by a group of investors, headed by real
estate investor, J. B. Bostic. John Baxter
Bostic, a businessman from Shelby. NC,
had moved to Asheville in 1887 and had
established a vibrant real estate business.

In a shrewd business move, Bostic had
formed his own railway company with a
small syndicate of investors, C. S. Cooper,
D. D. Suttle, and himself. These inves-
tors were not only “owners of the road”,
but also partners in a large real estate in-
vestment in a new development property
which they had strategically purchased the
year before, to be the terminus of the new
railway line. “TO FENNER MOUNTAIN”,
announced the April 8, 1891 edition of the
Asheville Citizen-Times, “The Street Rail-
way To Be Extended To That Point’.® The
article went on to report that “J. B. Bostic
and D. D. Suttle, of Asheville, and W. M.
Cooper, of Statesville” had just recently
purchased “Fenner Mountain” and have
already “set about improvement of their
purchased property and have just perfect-
ed arrangements by which the street car
line will be extended to that point.’

The property referenced in the April 1891
article, was the former 70 acre farm of
Rev. J. S. Burnett in Raymoth (aka Wool-
sey), on the west side of Beaverdam
Road (Merrimon Avenue) just north of
the Asheville city limits, which had been
purchased jointly by J. B. Bostic and D.
D. Suttle in April 1890, a year before the
railway announcement.’ “NORTH ASHE-
VILLE PARR’, suggested the reporter in
the April 4, 1890 edition of the Asheville
Citizen-Times, should be the name given

to the property recently

purchased by a “syndicate

of gentlemen, at whose

head is Mr. J. B. Bostic””®

The article further report-
| ed that the developers’

plans for the property was
to “Jay it out in five and ten
acre tracts and sell it to

Lane

Asheville Citizen-Times, July 25, 1885, p. 3.

FALL 2025

ABOVE Cabinet card view
of an Asheville trolley car
surrounded by passengers.

Labeled "Asheville and
Vicinity" and "Western North

Carolina Views,"- Buncombe
County Special Collections,
Pack Memorial Public Library,
Asheville, North Carolina.

PLAT 1 Doubleday U Addition
Plat East & Seney Streets
Db. 8/2. -Buncombe County
Register of Deeds

PLAT 2 1886 map shows
property owners of each tract
of land in the city of Asheville.
- Buncombe County Special
Collections (Asheville, NC).
PLAT 3 J. B. Bostic and Others
-Plat Beaverdam Road July 08,
1891 Db. 8/19. -Buncombe
County Register of Deeds.

oa
7B. BosTric.

wad Offers
Sear Aekhervitle, Iv. C

desirable parties for suburban residenc-
es”.!° It was further announced that the
development would have “two avenues”
which would run from the city limits north
to Woodfin Mountain (aka Fenner Moun-
tain or Lookout Mountain), and that at the
“apex” of the mountain a pavilion would
be erected “for the use of the residents
and for dance and picnics’’."' Bostic’s new
development, which never adopted the
reporter’s suggested name, was just north
of the Doubleday Addition, just above the
Reynolds & Atkinson development which
bordered the Doubleday Addition on its
north side, just outside the city limits.

Speaking of the Reynolds and Atkinson
development, in June of 1890, just after
purchasing the “North Asheville Park”
property, J. B. Bostic and other investors,
C. M. McLoud, P. F. Patton, D. C. Wad-
dell, W. W. Barnard, C. E. Graham, and J.
M. Ray, purchased a $100,000 “interest”
in the Reynolds & Atkinson development,
through which their later proposed “East
Street Railway” would traverse.”

Final approval for the new East Street Rail-
way, was finally granted by the Board of
Aldermen in early May of 1891, but only
after the railway company had agreed to
widen the streets on which they would run
their tracks. This is probably the reason

Boor. 76, P FOS.

that J. B. Bostic’s property (purchased in
1890) was not officially platted until July
of 1891.'3 The plat shows the subdivided
lots along with names on lots of those who
had already invested in the property. The
name “Barnard” shows on the plat as an
adjacent property owner on the south. J. H.
Barnard (Joseph Hicks Barnard), a local
and not to be confused with J. H. Barnard
(John Hall Barnard), who was then the su-
perintendent of the Asheville Street Rail-
way, had purchased his 60-acre property in
1885.'4 Barnard Avenue was named after
him. C. S. Cooper was already living on an
adjacent property where he had erected a
residence in 1888,'° but he had purchased
a '/4 interest in the property development
in May of 1890.'° W. M. Cooper’s name
shows on the plat as well. W. M. Cooper of
Statesville, NC, who was the brother of C.
S. Cooper, had purchased two parcels on
the southside of Fenner Mountain, in the
Bostic development, in March of 1891.!”
It was on the W. M. Cooper lands that the
house at 227 Edgewood Road would even-
tually be built.

Construction of the East Street Railway
began on May 22, 1891. The Asheville

continued on the next page

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The Story of 227 Edgewood Rd. continued from page 4

Street Railway , which had leased the
right-of-way from the East Street Rail-
way, did the actual construction of the new
line.'* The announcement of the start of
construction also came with the announce-
ment that, along with the right-of-way, the
Asheville Street Railway had also leased
a ten-acre site at the terminus of the new
line (Fenner/Lookout Mountain) “to con-
struct a park, lawn tennis, etc.’”’’. The East
Street line of the Asheville Street Railway,
from N. Main Street (now Broadway) to
Lookout/Fenner Mountain was officially
opened on Friday, July 10, 1891.*° How-
ever, plans for the construction of a park
at its terminus were put on hold.

As construction of the new East Street
railway (trolley line) began, J. B. Bostic
and his syndicate, continued to advertise
and sell lots in his new development. On
July 3, 1891, it was reported that Bos-
tic had sold lots to: J. A. Nichols, W. T.
Waltser, Mrs. L. A. Finley (two lots), W.
M. Clarke, Prof. P. P. Claxton, H. C. Long,
and Col. J. M. Ray.”! Although it was re-
ported that all the new lot owners intended
to build residences on their acquired lots,
very few houses were actually built.

In the summer of 1892, Otis A. Miller,
who was then developing the town of
“Skyland” south of Asheville, decided to
join in the development of Bostic’s Fen-
ner/Lookout Mountain property. In Au-
gust of 1892, Miller purchased a block of
lots on the east side of Park Avenue in the
Bostic development from H. C. Long.”
Long had originally purchased the block
from the Bostic syndicate the year be-
fore. Within the ensuing month, Miller
purchased additional blocks and parcels
of land from the Bostic development.”
Although Miller had purchased a few lots
on the east side of the development, along
the railway car line, Miller had managed
to purchase almost the entire western and
northwestern portion of the Bostic devel-
opment, which he immediately formed
into his own subdivision, which he named
“Cavalier Heights’’.*4
Just as he had done
in Skyland, Otis
Miller planned on
not only develop-
ing his property into
residential lots, but
he also planned on
constructing a lux-
urious hotel atop
Lookout Mountain,
to be called “Cav-
alier Castle”.2> On
August 30", 1892 it was announced that
Otis Miller was “about ready” to begin
construction of “his private residence and
stables” on his Lookout Mountain proper-
ty, and also that construction on his new
hotel, “Cavalier Castle”, was “to begin in
two weeks”.?> Miller built his private resi-
dence on the southside of Lookout Moun-
tain on “Lot 8 of Block 6”, which was bor-
dered on the south and west by Barnard
Avenue, on the north by the Fenner lands,
and on the east by the W. M. Cooper lands.
This site is now addressed as 255 Barnard
Avenue and is the site of a modern apart-
ment complex. Miller named his new res-
idence “Bonnicastle”. A vintage photo of
Bonnicastle shows that it was three-stories
high with a four-story tower/turret, and a
two-story open side porch with round
arched openings. Using materials which
appear to have been stone and wood-shin-
gles, combined with its numerous turrets,
Miller’s new residence was truly a castle
on the hill.

By 1894, with sales of lots in “Cavalier
Heights” having been slim, it was clear
that Miller had over-invested. The first
of numerous subsequent defaults came in
September of 1894. It was then, at public
auction that O. D. Revell purchased four
valuable lots from Otis Miller’s trustee, J.
G. Merrimon.”’ The four lots (lot 10 Block
5, lots 1 & 3 of block 7 and lot 1 of block
8) were the upper most lots of Miller’s,
and I believe them to have been the lo-
cation of his proposed “Cavalier Castle”
hotel. Fortunately, for the present, “Bon-
nicastle” remained in Miller’s ownership,
although he soon began to take in boarders
to help defray its costs.”

Otis Miller was not alone in overinvest-
ing. In 1892, the Asheville Street Car Rail-
way went into receivership, with Lewis
Maddux being appointed as its receiver.”
Under Maddux’s leadership, in 1893, the
company was reorganized as the Ashe-
ville Street Railroad.*° Unfortunately, the
Asheville Street Railroad couldn’t make
a go of it either, and in 1895 it too went
into receivership, with the court appoint-
ing J. E. Rankin as its receiver?! Rankin
immediately began making improvements
and finding ways to make the line more
profitable. To that end, in May of 1896,
the Asheville Citizen-Times made the fol-
lowing announcement:

CAVALIER HEIGHTS.

nt these Hots
OTIS A, MILLER,
No. 1 Patton Avenue,

Asheville Citizen-Times,
November 1, 1892, p. 4.

Receiver, J. E. Rankin of the Asheville
Street Railroad company, in carrying out
his plans for the improvement of the lines
under his control and furnishing attractive
rides for the patrons of the road, has de-
veloped the idea of a park at the terminus
of the Lookout mountain division. For two
weeks a force of men under E. P. Hart, su-
perintendent of the construction forces has
been busy clearing the ground and erect-
ing buildings necessary to carry out the
plans. The resort, for such it will undoubt-
ably become, has been christened Lookout
Park. It lies immediately west of the car
line and comprises a tract of eight acres.
The undergrowth has been cleared away,
leaving a grove of shade trees. A pavilion
30 x 40 feet has been erected, and will be
used for dances and entertainments. Four
large swings depend about the grounds,
while benches are arranged under the
trees for the comfort of the visitor. Cool
water is to be had from a well near the pa-
vilion. The rounds are to be beautified by
flowers and plants.”

The newspaper went on to announce that
Lookout Park had been leased to Charles
Evans, of Indianapolis, “an experienced
man in amusement enterprises”, who was
planning to have daily band music in the
pavilion with Sunday concerts, a pony
track, refreshment stand, and a merry-
go-round. Additionally, Evans planned to
have vaudeville entertainment at the park
as well.*

Lookout Park, was reported to “Jie imme-
diately west of the car line’, which I be-
lieve to have been where now is site of the
house at 227 Edgewood Road. Evidence
for my assumption is supported by a state-
ment given in 1896, where C. S. Cooper,
a major landowner along the line, told an
Asheville Citizen-Times correspondent
that receiver Rankin had come to Cooper
“to get permission to use the grounds for
park purposes”. The eight-acre site for the
park was no doubt part of the land that
was owned by Cooper’s out-of-town fa-
ther. At the time, Bonnicastle would have
overlooked the park from the
northwest.

Lookout Park formally opened
on May 28, 1896, “to the ac-
companiment of speechmak-
ing and music”. The park
soon became a popular sum-
mer resort for local citizens
and tourists. Touring Vaude-
ville acts, band concerts,
“moonlight excursions” (of
course the park had electric
lights), balloon ascensions, and bicycle
races became regular features of the park.
Two vintage photos from 1897-1898 show
bicycles and bicyclists at Lookout Park.
The two vintage photos (c. 1897-1898)
which are labeled, “from July 4th or Labor
Day” at “Lookout Park on Chatham Rd”
show men preparing for bicycle races.*°

for 30 days:

Notable were the “balloon ascensions”
that would be held at the Park. A 1900
advertisement, which is accompanied by
an appropriate sketch, gives us an “EX-
PLANATION” of the event: “When the
balloon is ready to go up there is a cannon
attached to the bottom of it- just as shown
by the above cut-
and the man and
his parachute are
loaded into the can-
non, and when the
balloon reaches the
height of two thou-
sand feet the man
and his parachute
are fired out, as the
cut shows above.”*”

A newlywed named
Margaret Sloan had
married in Ashe-
ville and while vis-
iting Asheville in
1900, she noted in
her daybook (diary)
on July 20, 1900:
“Mr. Rufe, Willard
and I went to Look-
out Park tonight to
a vaudeville perfor-
mance and for a change it was good, we
had some splendid well water and a jolly
good time. Mr. Bryant treated to cream
[ice cream] and chaperoned us royally.’”®
The Vaudeville performance that Sloan
had seen was an acrobatic performance by
“Muller & Poole’.*? The performance she
saw included: a “horizontal bar act’ by
brothers W. E. & Carl Muller and Poole,
a clown act by Carl Muller, a con song
by Sam Weldon, Larry Kettrick imitating
several comedians, and ended with W.
E. Muller and Poole doing an “acrobatic
turn” .*° The performers were “hometown”
boys, Carl Muller, his brother W. E. (Eu-
gene) Muller and J. B. Poole.*! The Muller
brothers were called to Europe in 1908 to

zh

30 Lookout Road by Dale Wayne Slusser, October 2025.

THE LOOKOUT PARK BALLOON ASCENSION.

ct

The Asheville Times,
June 1, 1900, p. 5.

FALL 2025

>

f { i //
East Street Railway |

/
&

A POPULAR ATTRACTION.

Lookeut Park Drawsa Large Crowd of
Asheville People.

Lookout Park yesterday and last
night wasa popular spot for Asheville
people who wanted to spend an hour or
two away from the bustle of the citv.
In the afternoon the attractions at tte
Park ircludcd orchestra music, a fine ex-
hibition of club swinging by Harry Mon-
roe, and singing and dancing by local
colored talent.

In the evening there was a dance at
the pavilion, and a large crowd went
out to enjoy the occasion. Good order
prevailed throughout.

Cars on the Lookout mountain divis-
ion ran until after 11 o'clock to bring
home the crowd. During the day and
night Conductor W. R. Hough on car
14 collected 994 fares. Conductor W.
H. Hougb, with car 13, ran on this line
after 9 p. m. and collected 143 fares, mak-
ing the total 1137.

gs

Special Collections (Asheville, NC).

TOP Map of the City of Asheville, 1900, made for H.F. Grant & Son Real Estate Agents. Buncombe County

MIDDLE LEFT Bonnie Castle [SIC -Bonnicastle]-, Built circa 1890, destroyed by fire in 1910. (Woolsey,
Buncombe County, North Carolina.)- donor, James Walker. - Buncombe County Special Collections

(Asheville, NC).

MIDDLE RIGHT Asheville Citizen-Times, May 22, 1896, p. 1

BOTTOM "July 4th or Labor Day" shows three men preparing for bicycle races at "Lookout Park on Chatham Rd"
(in Woolsey). Identified: S. |. Bean (far right) and Mr. H. Hearn (2nd from left). Photo by A.B. Pope of Asheville; and
Image# B316-8 -Samuel Isaac Bean, Jr. (left) and another man preparing for a bicycle race at "Lookout Park." -

Buncombe County Special Collections (Asheville, NC).

perform, and later Eugene Muller got a
professional job with the “Keith Circuit”,
a chain of vaudeville theatres across the
US.”

As the turn of the twentieth-century
dawned, dramatic changes were to come
for Otis Miller, the East Street Railway
and Lookout Park. First, in May of 1898
most of the remaining Cavalier Heights/
Otis Miller property was foreclosed on,
including “Bonnicastle”.* But instead of
a proposed sheriff-sale, Miller forfeited
the property back to Bostic and his syn-
dicate in September of 1898. However
Otis Miller was not ready to leave Look-
out Mountain any time
soon, as not only had he
retained his 1892 proper-
ty (Lot 2 of Block 7) on
Lookout Road, but in late
1898 he re-purchased an
adjacent parcel to the
north (Lot 1 of Block 8),
which he had forfeited
to the Bostic syndicate
a few months earlier.*
Although the deed was
not registered until 1901,
in December of 1898, a
small transfer notice was
given in the newspaper:
“To Otis A. Miller, four
acres on top of Lookout
mountain which will be
improved’.*© Less than
a month later Otis Mill-
er announced his plans
to build a 75-foot high
observatory on top of
his new Lookout Mountain site. At the
same time, it was reported that “Mr. Mill-
er is also building a 12-room cottage near
the site of the observatory, which will be
known as “Cavalier Cottage”, and will be

rented as a county summer retreat’ .”

CAVALIER COTTAGE for rent fur-

nished. On top of Lookout Mountain—
five ruoms, stable, horse and buggy if
desired. No finer summer seat near
Asheville. Rent low. Otis A. Miller,
37 South Main.

Asheville Citizen-Times,
June 9, 1899, p. 4.

Cavalier Cottage was completed and of-
fered for rent by June of 1899.** The cot-
tage was advertised as being “five rooms”,
which was half the size of its proposed
size. I propose that current house at 30
Lookout Road, which has functioned as a
Bread & Breakfast Inn (Bridle Path Inn) for
many years, was Miller’s “Cavalier Cas-
tle”. The Miller’s sold the property to build-
er O. D. Revell in 1926.” Revell is thought
to have built the house, however, I suspect
that although he made some major renova-
tions to the property in 1931, that he started
with the original Cavalier Cottage.*°

Miller’s observatory, which also featured
a pavilion and refreshment stand which
sold ice cream and drinks, was completed

and opened to the public by July of 1899.°!
Miller installed a “Trieder binocular” at
the top of the observatory, that was report-
ed to be so strong that it could “recognize
friends six miles distant’!

Although Otis Miller was able to main-
tain a presence on Lookout Mountain, J.
B. Bostic was not so fortunate, as in 1899,
having defaulted on his loan from the Bur-
nett family (which was obtained when he
purchased their Lookout Mountain land in
1890), Bostic forfeited his ownership in
the development. Being the highest bidder
at the courthouse sale in 1899, the Burnett
family took possession of the land. The
Burnett family re-sold the property to C.
T. Rawls in 1902.4

HILLSIDE PARK§

vor Colored People

metly known as Lookout Park have been engag-
* be

The ground:

or ton Wer
th ill be changed to Hillside Park
ed under the supervision of Deputy

4th IS OPENING
DAY!
Fireworks 9:30 p. m. ¥

) der
heriff Jarvis

JULY

KKK

Music 9-I1 p. m.

222 2 2222222222222)

Asheville Citizen-Times,
July 4, 1902, p. 3.

A further blow to the Lookout Mountain
developments also came in 1902, when
the Asheville Street Railway, made the
devastating decision to discontinue the
Lookout Mountain line. The reason for the
closure was never clear to the public, but
the decision, as sad as it is to think about
today, seems to have centered around a ra-
cial issue. “JT IS NOW HILSIDE PARK”,
announced the Asheville Citizen-Times
on July 3, 1902, “The well known resort
on Lookout Mountain is now being fitted
up as a park for colored people and its
name has been changed to Hillside Park.
There will be music, fireworks, dancing,
and refreshments tomorrow night and a
large crowd of colored people will doubt-
less be there to enjoy them.”* At the time
(the era of segregation) this looked like a
good idea, as not only did the Asheville
Street Railroad also have Riverside Park,
but also they had recently (1901) connect-
ed to Howland’s Overlook Park on Sun-
set Mountain, which gave them two other
parks “for whites only”. Also, there were
several African-American neighborhoods
near Lookout Mountain.

Three days after the Hillside Park an-
nouncement, the Asheville Street Rail-
road company announced its’ “intention to
abandon the Lookout park route, building
a track from the present line which will go
east on Seney street and north on Merri-
man Avenue as far as Woolsey Hall’. The
ASR company claimed the reason for the
closing of the Lookout Mountain line was

continued on page 6

PAGE 5

Your support permanently protects our built environment

Going for Zero: Continued from page 1

In the preservation world, it's helped a
lot of people understand that preservation
contributes enormously to sustainability
and climate action. Through my
connection to Architecture 2030 I’ve seen
how the goals of retaining and reusing
existing buildings are gaining attention
at the highest levels of international
climate discussion. But there is still the
idea that we’re going to make everything
like modern buildings—with _ triple-
glazed windows. Are we going to tear out
windows that have stood the test of time
and replace them with technology that
we’ ll throw in the landfill in 50
years? We need to be advocates
for the long-term value of
building materials and systems.

One of the quotes in your book
is from Bill McDonough, who
reflects on the differences
between steamships
and sailing ships from a
sustainability perspective,
noting the efficiencies and
benefits of __ traditional
practices. How do you apply
that idea to buildings?
Elefante: We need to look hard at
the climate standards that are used for
building mechanical design. Last week I
was at an ASHRAE (formerly American
Society of Heating Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers) committee
conference. I am happy to say that
they were very interested in hearing a
historic building perspective on comfort.
Historic buildings were designed around
occupant operability: they have windows
and shutters and awnings and curtains
that open and close. Modern practice is
to seal up entire buildings and operate
them at one temperature and humidity
setting all year long. It requires energy

use, and carbon pollution, regardless of
exterior conditions. And medical science
is beginning to understand how this
simplistic idea about comfort affects our
metabolism and health.

Does preservation practice need to change
for us to help solve the challenges we face?

Elefante: Even the preservation world
has a modern era bias to it. By that I mean
that we're too often thinking of buildings
as artifacts, preserving buildings to a
former glory they never had. They're not
ceramics displayed on a shelf. They have
to work for a new generation
of users during a new era with
different demands. Buildings
have always adapted over time,
over centuries. Go to Rome, go
anywhere where you can see
centuries of living. People have
adapted buildings to make them
useful, livable and comfortable
generation after generation.
That is what it means to live
in buildings. We have to allow
them to change, not freeze
buildings in amber.

Any final thoughts?

Elefante: We have a lot of important
work to do together. Let’s look at the
climate imperative, the justice imperative,
and the urban imperative—the challenges
that are literally shaping our century and
our world—and rally together. It is our
responsibility to express the value of historic
preservation. It needs our voices. We cannot
expect anyone else to walk into the room
and say these things. It's up to us. g

Huge thanks to The National Trust and
Jim Lindberg for allowing this reprint.

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PERMANENTLY PROTECTED

E.D. Weaver House

Built in 1895, the E. Douglas Weaver home has been in the Weaver family for
more than 3 generations. Ethan Douglas Weaver built the two-story, 10-room
farmhouse for his wife and children on the property located just off Monti-
cello Road in Weaverville. The historic barn (including its original hen boxes!)
as well as the beautiful magnolia tree in the front yard will be included in the
protections. We are thrilled that this beloved family home will now be safe
from development pressure, and permanently protected! NV)

The Story of 227 Edgewood Rd. continued from page 5

that it was no longer “of'much profit to the
29 57

company”.
It took less than a week for the opposition
to the park to hit fever pitch. The “citizens
of Ramoth (Woolsey)”, who were served
by the East Street/Lookout Mountain line,
objected to sharing the trolley with “col-
ored people”, who they claimed crowded
the cars and refused to give up their seats
for white folks.** Therefore the citizens
called for the park to be closed and threat-
ened that if it was not closed that the town
would not grant a franchise for the trolley
to come through their town! On August
11, 1902, the Asheville Electric Company,
which had bought out the Asheville Street
Railroad, signed a franchise with the town
of Ramoth to run their lines through the
town to connect to the Weaverville Rail-
way. The deal was made WITHOUT the
“clause providing that the negro park be
removed from the present Hillside Park
and that no negro park be established on
the line”? Kudos to the Asheville Electric
Company for not agreeing to remove the
park-however, knowing that Raymoth had
threatened to pass an ordinance prohibit-
ing the park, they could save face and pass
the buck on to Raymoth to deal with the
park as they saw fit.

Development on Lookout Mountain re-
sumed in 1910, when C. T. Rawls, who
had purchased the residual of the Bos-
tic development from the Burnett family
in 1902, partnered with associate L. M.
Bourne and had the property re-subdivid-
ed and platted. Rawls and Bourne hosted a
land auction on August 10, 1910 to kickoff
sales. At the auction, which was a big suc-
cess, forty-four of the fifty-fours lots were
sold.® Mrs. T. P. Reynolds was the prize-
winner in the name contest, with “Sunrise
Park” as her entry.®' Surprisingly, there is
little evidence the name, “Sunrise Park”
was ever used for the development. In fact
the Rawls & Bourne plat shows its name
as “Edgewood”.

Although not recorded until 1910, in 1908
J. H. McConnell purchased a six-acre (5.6
actual) parcel from the estate of W. M.
Cooper.® William M. Cooper, who died in
1907, had purchased two large tracts on the

PAGE 6

Former site of
Bonnicastle

SHA CONN.

Former site of Lookout Park

Avene

N
e
PELDETICE Pon SFIMCOMPLL EIQ
70h A WOOzZ =
ee —
Ba ae. —e oS ~~.
a alin]
L0CL WOOD. = SSS far ee
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C.T. RAWLS, L.A BOURNE, | Al (eye sal | |
Woo.sLy, MC i i Ol ees
Seore ~700%e" a = = os i

the McConnell’s had de-
faulted on a 1931 loan.”!
Despite being owned by
the bank, Ella McCo-
nnell and her daughter
Bess McConnell (now a
noted interior designer)
continued to live in the
house until Ella’s death
in 1945.” Although the
house had been purchased
out of foreclosure by the
eo Ae McConnell’s out-of-town
“Suelk son, Robert P. McCo-

nnell, Bess McConnell

(Robert’s sister) moved

out of the house, and it

was turned into a two-unit

rental.

a)

==
ire =

AM kee, Sumveren, i
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LEFT 1910 C. T. Rawls & L. M. Bourne PLAT WOOLSEY NC Db. 154/63. - Buncombe

County Register of Deeds.

RIGHT TOP Current day Windsor Hotel. Photo: windsorasheville.com

RIGHT BOTTOM J. H. McConnell Residence-“Residence for J.H. McConnell- Woolsey- NC -Front, dated Feb.
1909”. Image# RSO0567.1- The Richard Sharp Smith Architectural Drawing Collection is owned by and housed
at the Asheville Art Museum. Digital copy courtesy Buncombe County Special Collections (Asheville, NC).

northside of West Avenue (now Edgewood
Road) from J. B. Bostic in 1891. “J. H. Mc-
Connell” was James Harvey McConnell, a
partner with his brother, W. C. McConnell
of McConnell Brothers, a wholesale fruit
and produce company. W. C. McConnell
started the business in Asheville in 1884,
and J. H. McConnell joined him in 1892,
when the name was changed to McCon-
nell Brothers. The McConnell Brothers
had been in various locations in Asheville
over the years, but in 1906 they partnered
with J. D. Nelson and others in erecting
the “Nelson-McConnell Building” at the
southeast corner of N. Main Street (now
Broadway) and E. Walnut Street. The
building that was numbered 34, 36, & 38
N. Main Street is still standing today and
known as The Windsor Hotel.

Shortly after buying his Edgewood Road
property, J. H. McConnell commissioned
architect Richard Sharp Smith to design a
large residence. The extant drawings, now
housed at the Asheville Art Museum, and
dated February 1909, show a two-story
English Arts & Crafts style house with

clapboards on the exterior of the first floor
with wood shingles on the second floor di-
vided by a molded belt-course.® The sim-
ple boxed porch posts with curved brack-
ets and the diamond-rectangular window
muntins are distinctive R. S. Smith fea-
tures. The large house was designed with
five bedrooms, all on the second floor.

The new house was completed and the
family, which then consisted of J. H. &
Ella and their five children (ages 3-12
yrs. old), settled in by May of 1910.° The
McConnells established a mini country
estate from which they sold White Leg-
horn chickens, openington eggs (brown
eggs) “for hatching”, and “Indian runner”
ducks.°’ They even raised and sold pigs!
Over the years the house was a place of
numerous Sunday class outings, as the
McConnells were active members of First
Presbyterian Church, Asheville.”

J. H. McConnell died in August of 1936”,
and a few months later, on October 23,
1936 Wachovia Bank & Trust foreclosed
on the property at 227 Edgewood Road, as

—= The house at 227 Edge-
wood Road remained a
two-unit rental until 1956, when Robert
McConnell sold the family home to Mau-
rice W. & Marion Ellis in August of that
year.’> The Ellis family only owned the
house for four months, selling it in De-
cember of 1956 to Eugene L. Edwards and
his wife Bobbie.“ The Edwards family
(multiple generations) owned the house
for almost thirty years until selling the
house in the Fall of 1985 to the Religious
Society of Friends (aka Quakers).

Prior to purchasing the house at 227 Edge-
wood Road, Asheville Friends Meeting’s
realtor, Ben McKenzie filed for a con-
ditional use rezoning in order to use the
residence for a Meeting House.”° How-
ever, by mid-October 1985, the Asheville
Friends Meeting were able to move from
their South French Broad YWCA location
to the house at 227 Edgewood Road. Al-
though the property has been reduced in
size from the McConnell’s original 5.86-
acre estate, under the stewardship of the
Asheville Friends Meeting, the house it-
self has retained its historic character and
still would be recognizable to James Har-
vey McConnell. g

All citations and photo credits can be
found on our web site psabc.org

Your donations provide affordable housing

Pebbledash)

ANNOUNCING FALL 2025
GRANT AWARDEES

FALL 2025

From Big Ivy in the North of Buncombe
County, to Montreat in the East, and plac-
es in between your grant support has
helped many neighbors in their efforts
to support historic preservation in their
communities. We are proud to announce
this round of grant awardees. To learn
more about our grant program please
visit psabc.org/preservation-grants.

HISTORIC STUMPTOWN
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

The Historic Stumptown Neighborhood
Association is working to build an
archival collection of digital materials
that document the history and heritage of
Stumptown and Black Montford through
the creation of the Stumptown and Black
Montford Digital Collection (SBMDC).

The SBMDC will include photos,
newspaper clippings, historic deeds,
and other ephemera, crowd sourced

from residents and descendants during
ongoing preservation efforts by Garnet
Prose + Projects and STM Multimedia in
partnership with the Historic Stumptown
Neighborhood Association and __ the
Montford & Stumptown Fund of the
Asheville-Buncombe Community Land
Trust (ABCLT). Public Historian Emily

Cadmus will spearhead the digital
collection.

PRIVATE RESIDENCE -

EAST END/ VALLEY STREET

This 1910 home sustained roof damage
during the storm, which caused significant
water intrusion. According to the
homeowner, “There are 9 leaks in the
house at last count. Damage was from
heavy rain (15” within 24-30 hours).”
Grant funds will go toward roof repairs,
and removing damaged and _ rotten
materials in the structure.

PRESBYTERIAN HERITAGE CENTER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ANNE CHESKY

The Presbyterian Heritage Center was
awarded funding for their Montreat
History Trail project. Montreat history has
been collected and treasured for more than
80 years by the PHC and its predecessor,
the Montreat Historical Society, but
all of the history is contained in the
center’s facilities. Montreat is a walking
community—Every day, people walk by
historical locations not knowing that it was
the first livery stable, or the site of a hotel
destroyed by fire, or the now defunct golf
course, and so much more. The Montreat
History Trail will take people on a route to
locations throughout the Town. Historical
marker kiosks will offer an image of what
was on the site and a brief description.

Executive Director Anne Chesky writes,
“Our hope is that the impact of the project
will stimulate greater understanding
of and appreciation for the rich history
of Montreat and the cove in which it is
situated. The project will touch on many
of the physical, religious, cultural, and
social changes including its architectural
heritage; unique uses such as an
orphanage, camps, conference center,
and an internment center during WWII;
fires and floods; bankruptcy; and much
more. Yet through it all, the real story is
that Montreat has survived and thrived in
its quiet, pristine cove of east Buncombe
County providing a place of rest and
reflection for all who come.”

HISTORIC WEAVERVILLE
COLORED SCHOOL

This project will create two interpretive
history panels to be installed inside the
Historic Weaverville Colored School

Presbyterian Heritage Center

Ee at

(HWCS), which is a PSABC easement
property. One panel will address
community history, and a second panel
will focus on the education of Black
people in this area during segregation.
According to Sharon Fahrer, who will
create the panels, “Weaverville’s Black
community has historically been invisible
or ignored. Visitors from outside the
South as well as locals are often surprised
that there is such a long Black history in
Appalachia. Early settlers to Weaverville
brought enslaved people there in the late
1700s. Much of this history, which is an
integral part of Weaverville’s history,
has never been publicly documented and
will educate and enhance the story of
Weaverville. At this location, the panels
will not only allow Weaverville’s own
Black community to honor their past, but
document it for future generations.”

PRIVATE RESIDENCE -
SWANNANOA

This home in Beacon Mill Village was
flooded over the eaves of the roof. It was
then gutted completely and rehabilitation
work is underway. The home now has new
plumbing, electrical, hvac, walls, flooring,
etc. Grant funds will help to address the
remaining damage from the storm.

According to the homeowner, “this home
was built in 1927 and is one of the original
homes built for the Beacon Mill workers
in Beacon Village. This was my father’s
home when it was built. It has stayed in our
family and is where I grew up and raised
my children. During Helene, it flooded up
over the eaves of the roof and we had to be
rescued by kayaks.”

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST TO MAKE SURE

YOU DON'T MISS OUT PSABC.ORG

Private Residence -Swannanoa

ST. MARY’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

St. Mary's Episcopal Church was built
in 1914 and has been on the National
Historic Register since 1994. The church
undercroft was flooded in Hurricane
Helene, resulting in considerable damage
requiring moisture and mold remediation.
The church was awarded funding for the
restoration of the floor system, which will
repair the original footprint of the historic
portion of the building.

In their application, Rev. Dr. Robert
Wetherington emphasized that “this
project will enhance our ability to be
a_ neighborhood center. Immediately
after Hurricane Helene, St. Mary's and
immediate neighbors organically created
a hub for food, goods, water distribution
and in doing so created bonds with our
neighbors that would be difficult to
duplicate in any other circumstance...
Our intention is to build on the community
that has developed and deepened through
the experience of Helene by creating
a welcoming space for neighbors to
continue to grow the bonds of friendship
and shared service, and of support and joy
in one another, on a regular basis and in
a multitude of ways, such as the monthly
community potluck that was begun after
the immediate recovery work was done.”

PRIVATE RESIDENCE -
SWANNANOA

This home experienced flood damage
during Helene, and had to be “gutted at 4
feet” to be restored. The log cabin style-
structure was built in 1921. Walls, cabinets,
and flooring all had to be replaced.

Big Ivy Historical Park

BIG IVY HISTORICAL PARK

The Big Ivy Historical Society and the
Big Ivy Community Center are hoping to
restore an important piece of community
history by rehabilitating the "Captain's
Quarters" of the Civilian Conservation
Corps camp. The project to be funded is
critical to save this building.

The main goal is to address water
intrusion, so as to stop any further damage.
Community member Kerry Sherril says
that this is the first step of a very large
project to restore this valuable piece of
history. “The windows need to be covered
immediately, the roof needs to be repaired
for leaks, the foundation sills need to be
assessed and leaks need to be temporarily
remedied. The overall project to fully
restore the building includes: assessing
the building for issues such as lead, mold,
and asbestos, creating a rehabilitation and
engineering plan, tearing off the addition
in the rear (built in the 1950's), repairing/
replacing the windows, replacing the roof,
restoring the stone fireplace, assessing and
repairing the stone foundation, replacing
foundation sills, mitigating water flow
around the foundation, restoring interior
walls to historical accuracy, and repairing
plumbing.” ®

Thank you for preserving with us!

Pebbledash)

GIVE MORE WHILE
SPENDING LESS ~
CUSTOMIZE YOUR
GIVING EXPERIENCE

Planned giving includes any
charitable donation, made during
lifetime or at passing, as part of a
donor’s overall financial, tax and/or
estate planning. As PSABC works
to protect the beauty and prosperity
of Asheville and Buncombe County,
we look to you to help us secure that
future. A planned gift to PSABC is
a powerful way to create a legacy of
preservation for our community!

Gift of appreciated securities

Receive a tax deduction for the full fair
market value of donated stock, bonds and
mutual funds, without having to sell them
and pay capital gains tax.

Qualified Charitable Distribution

from IRAs

A tax-free direct transfer of funds from your
IRA, payable to the Preservation Society,
which can be counted toward satisfying
your required minimum distribution for
the year.

“Bunched” gift
Making 2 or more years’ of charitable gifts
all in one year

Gift of real estate

Receive a tax deduction for the full fair
market value of donated real estate,
without having to sell and pay capital gains
tax or transaction costs. Where the gift is
of an historic building or a preservation
easement it goes to the heart of our mission.

Gift of artwork, jewelry, antiques,
vehicles

Receive a tax deduction for the full fair
market value for your donated collectibles,
without having to sell and pay capital gains
tax or transaction costs.

Charitable remainder trust

An irrevocable fund is set up to provide
an income stream to you or your family,
usually for life. At your passing, the
Preservation Society receives what is left
in the trust.

Charitable lead trust

The reverse of the charitable remainder
trust, an irrevocable trust which provides an
income stream to the Preservation Society

This property was a generous gift from a supporter to PSABC,

FALL 2025

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and is now fully rehabilitated and permanently protected!

for aterm or a lifetime with whatever is left
going to one or more individuals.

Bequest

A provision in your will, trust or estate
plan that allocates a gift to the Preservation
Society at your passing.

IRAs, 401(k)s, annuities and life
insurance

Naming the Preservation Society as
beneficiary of these vehicles, to take effect
at your passing, or, in some cases, during
life, can save income and estate taxes for
donors and their families.

Endowment gift

A donation of money or property to the
Preservation Society, which uses the
investment income for its programs and
operations while keeping the principal intact.

Remember that the Preservation Society
does not give individual tax advice. Every
situation is different, so talk over any
strategy with your personal tax advisor
and investment counselor, and give us a
call if we can help! g

“You see a haunted house, | see
a house with good bones.”

Unscramble the
letters to form 10
preservation terms.
The answers can be
found at the bottom
of this page.

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3 dol 8 Igycae

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